How I Reclaimed My Life with Full-picture Health (And the $200k Mistake That Taught Me How)

I remember exactly where I was when I finally understood all-around health. It was a Tuesday in November 2023, and I was sitting on the floor of my tiny apartment in Santa Monica, surrounded by half-empty supplement bottles that cost more than my car. I was 34, my back felt like it was being poked by hot needles, and I had just spent $214.50 on a functional medicine “consultation” that lasted ten minutes. I realized then that I wasn’t getting healthy; I was just collecting expensive labels. I was a corporate burnout trying to buy my way out of a hole I had dug for a decade.

All-around health is the practice of treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—to find the root cause of illness rather than just masking symptoms. It’s not just about eating kale or taking vitamins; it’s about understanding how your stress, sleep, relationships, and nutrition work together. When you address the whole system, your body starts to heal itself naturally.

The Expensive Myth of the Quick Fix

To be honest, I spent years thinking “whole” was just a fancy word for “expensive things sold in glass jars.” During my time in the corporate grind, I would drop $42.15 at the Erewhon in Venice on a single bottle of “adrenal support” juice, thinking it would fix the fact that I was sleeping four hours a night. I was treating my body like a broken car—just swap out a part and keep driving. It didn’t work. My chronic pain only got worse because I was ignoring the full-picture reality: my stress was literally tightening my muscles into knots.

A 2024 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) highlighted that chronic stress is a factor in up to 80% of primary care visits. Yet, most of us (myself included) try to fix that stress with a pill or a weekend retreat. I had to learn the hard way that you can’t supplement your way out of a lifestyle that makes you sick. I talk more about this in my No-BS review of whole health, where I break down exactly how much money I wasted before I got it right.

The Moment Reality Hit

I remember walking into a high-end wellness clinic in early 2024. The air smelled like expensive sandalwood, and the “healer” told me I needed a $3,000 detox program. I looked at my bank account, then at my shaking hands, and realized the stress of paying for the “cure” was actually making me sicker. Real all-around health shouldn’t bankrupt you. It should simplify your life, not complicate it.

The Three Pillars of a Truly Full-picture Life

Once I stopped chasing the “magic pill,” I started focusing on what actually mattered. In my practice now as a nutritionist, I see people making the same mistakes I did. They want the “superfood” but they aren’t sleeping. They want the “biohack” but they’re eating processed junk. Here is how I actually fixed my life, and how I help my clients in Santa Monica do the same today in 2026.

1. Nutrition as Information, Not Fuel

We often think of food as just calories. But in complete health, food is information. It tells your genes whether to turn on inflammation or turn it off. I used to eat “healthy” frozen meals that were packed with sodium and “natural flavors” that left me bloated and tired. When I switched to whole, single-ingredient foods, my brain fog cleared in about two weeks. If you’re struggling with where to start, I’ve put together a guide on anti-inflammatory foods for daily meals that changed everything for me.

2. The Mind-Body Connection (It’s Not Woowoo)

I used to roll my eyes at meditation. “I don’t have time to sit still,” I’d tell my friend Sarah at the yoga studio. But your nervous system doesn’t care about your schedule. If you are constantly in “fight or flight” mode, your digestion shuts down. This is why so many people have gut issues despite eating “clean.” I realized my chronic back pain was a physical manifestation of my fear of failing at work. Once I started addressing the mental weight, the physical weight followed.

3. Environmental Wellness

This is the one everyone misses. What are you putting on your skin? What are you breathing in? I spent $84.22 on a “miracle” skin serum only to realize the mold in my old office was the real reason I was breaking out. Big-picture health means looking at your surroundings. Sometimes the “medicine” you need isn’t a supplement; it’s a new air filter or a walk in the park.

Comparison: Quick Fix vs. All-around Approach

I think it’s helpful to see the difference in how we usually handle problems versus how a whole health approach looks at them. I lived the left side of this table for years, and it cost me my health and my savings.

How to Start Your Whole Journey Without the Price Tag

If you’re reading this in early 2026, you’ve probably seen a million “wellness” trends on your feed. It’s overwhelming. that said,, you don’t need a lot of money to start. To be honest, the best things I did for my health were almost free. I started by shopping at the local farmer’s market (the one on Arizona Ave is my favorite) and focusing on seasonal produce.

Step 1: Audit Your Gut

Everything starts in the gut. If your digestion is off, your hormones will be off, and your mood will tank. I spent a long time ignoring my bloating until it turned into full-blown food sensitivities. I finally sat down and did a “clean out” of my pantry, getting rid of anything with seed oils or hidden sugars. I’ve written about this in detail in my guide on how to boost your gut health.

Step 2: Manage Your Light

We are biological beings living in a digital world. I bought a pair of blue-light blocking glasses for $31.47 on Amazon last year, and while they helped a bit, the real change came when I stopped using my laptop after 8 PM. Your sleep quality is the foundation of all-around health. Without it, your body can’t repair the damage from the day.

Step 3: Move with Intention

I used to punish myself with 5 AM HIIT classes. I thought if I wasn’t sweating and miserable, it wasn’t working. Now, I do a mix of walking and slow strength training. A 2025 study from the Stanford Center on Longevity found that consistent, low-intensity movement is more effective for long-term joint health than sporadic high-intensity workouts. Listen to your body—some days it needs a run, and some days it needs a stretch.

The Downsides Nobody Talks About

I want to be completely honest with you: the whole health path can be lonely and frustrating. When I first started, my coworkers thought I was “difficult” because I wouldn’t join them for 2 PM donuts or happy hour drinks. I felt like the “boring” friend for a while. Actually… I still feel that way sometimes.

There’s also the “healing crisis.” When you start eating better and reducing toxins, you might actually feel worse for a week or two. I remember having a massive headache and feeling incredibly grumpy about four days into my first real sugar detox. I almost quit. I thought, “If this is healthy, why do I feel like garbage?” But it was just my body adjusting. Don’t let the first week of struggle convince you that it’s not working.

“The greatest medicine of all is to teach people how not to need it.” — Hippocrates

Is It Worth It? My 2026 Perspective

Looking back at my $200k burnout, I realize I was paying for a version of myself that didn’t exist. I wanted to be the high-powered exec who also had perfect skin and endless energy. Whole health taught me to accept my limitations. It taught me that I can’t do everything, but I can do the important things well.

Today, my back pain is 90% gone. I don’t wake up with that “impending doom” feeling in my chest. I still have bad days, and I still eat pizza occasionally (the gluten-free one from Milo & Olive is actually incredible). But I have the tools to get back on track. I’m not searching for a miracle anymore because I realize my body is the miracle—I just had to get out of its way.

The journey isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being aware. It’s about noticing that the headache you have at 3 PM might be because you haven’t breathed deeply all day, not because you’re “caffeine deficient.” It’s a slow process of coming home to yourself. For me, after years of running away from my body, the answer was right there the whole time.